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Orange France are apparently planning to launch a self-branded iPad rival, as part of a three-pronged tablet attack in time for the holiday shopping season. According to Les Echos, France Telecom are preparing an Android based 3G slate with a €250 ($318) unsubsidized price, which could drop to under €100 ($127) with a data plan commitment. Orange are also supposedly looking to a brand-name rival to the iPad, though the identity of the tablet is unknown.
Meanwhile the carrier is also apparently in negotiations with Apple to bring the iPad in-store. The push for tablets has been described as an attempt to “democratise” the shelves, introducing some extra options for would-be slate owners; it would also allow Orange more control, away from Apple’s relatively tight rein over operators.
The mysterious new device won’t be the first tablet Orange has pushed out under their own name. Last year they launched the Orange Tabbee, shown above, a dockable WiFi slate with internet widgets and a 3hr battery. However it failed to capture the market, and remained a niche product, something that has been partially blamed on a shortage of third-party apps.


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When The Glenlivet shared a video of their new so-called “Capsule Collection” last Friday, the internet was quick to respond. The edible capsules made from seaweed contain a special edition of Founders Reserve based whisky recipes created by Tayēr + Elementary cocktail bar co-owner Alex Kratena. I was especially intrigued by the edible seaweed capsule and wanted to find out more.
The capsule was invented and manufactured by U.K.-based company Notpla (formerly Skipping Rocks Lab) who named the capsule ‘Ooho,’ based on the sound people make when they see it for the first time, cofounder and co-CEO of Notpla, Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez told me on the phone.
The capsule is not only edible but also composts almost quicker than fruit, Garcia Gonzalez says. Depending on what’s inside the capsules, production takes place from a week to a month in advance. For the London Marathon earlier this year, Notpla produced 42,000 capsules (one for each participant). Notpla were operating a couple of their manufacturing machines at the time of the marathon, five months later they have five machines up and running.
“We don’t claim to have a solution that could replace every single packaging,” Garcia Gonzalez says, “At the moment we are focussing on small volume, short-time consumption. We are proving that it works to a certain extent in quite a lot of different scenarios."
Festivals, tennis tournaments and food delivery are some of those scenarios where Notpla are getting consumers used to their no-plastic products. At the moment, if you’re in London and order from food delivery service Just Eat, which launched in the U.K. in 2006 and reported £4.2 billion in order value in 2018, there’s a good chance your condiments will arrive in a Notpla ‘Ohoo’ capsules, with 30 restaurants currently stocking them. In this case, the condiment capsules are not meant to be eaten, but they still compost easily and quickly in your general kitchen food waste.
Garcia Gonzalez explained that seaweed has been manipulated in the kitchen for hundreds of years, but no one has ever apparently approached it from a packaging perspective before. Partnering with his cofounder and co-CEO Pierre Paslier, who was a packaging engineer at L’Oreal, “We started this project to see if we could contain liquids in a sustainable way without using plastic, and we ended up with seaweed,” Garcia Gonzalez told me.
One of the challenges they are currently facing is having to invent all the technology they need to make their capsules, “There is no technology that can support us, so we have to develop everything from scratch—from the machines that produce it, to the seaweed paste, to the logistics to distribute them, to how to communicate it to the consumer,” Garcia Gonzalez told me.
The company is currently developing and testing out further products, including crisp packets, pasta sachets that dissolve in water, and packaging for dry goods. They are inundated with requests, more than they can currently handle.
“The goal of the company itself is to try to make plastic packaging disappear,” Garcia Gonzalez says, “We know that with our first product, it's quite good and revolutionary and puts us in a good position. But at the same time there are challenges, and in order to scale up, we need to offer a portfolio of different products.”
The Glenlivet Capsule Collection is only available in the U.K. until October 13, at Tayēr + Elementary in London, a cocktail bar by Alex Kratena and Monica Berg, two world famous and highly respected bartenders.

domain: news


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Laundry expert claims 'ice cube hack' will mean you'll never have to iron clothes again
19 January 2021, 14:59
A laundry expert has shared trick that could save you from ironing your clothes in the future...
If the idea of spending hours on end ironing your clothes is your own personal nightmare, we *may* just have found a solution.
Read more: Sleep expert suggests sewing a tennis ball into pyjamas to prevent snoring
Laundry expert Deyan Dimitrov, CEO of the brand Laundryheap, recommends that you throw some ice cubes in the dryer while your clothes are drying.
He revealed that the heat released by the dryer will melt the ice cubes, which will then produce steam that reduces creases.
Your clothes therefore come out freshly 'ironed' after being steamed within the dryer itself.
If you do want to try the hack at home, you should ensure that you don't overfill the dryer and that there is plenty of room - as the clothes will need extra space to benefit from the steam.
According to the Daily Star, the hack should only take around 10 minutes.
You should always check the label on your clothes before drying them - as some may not be suitable for tumble dryers.
See below for more handy life hacks:


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Thursday, news broke that the US Department of Energy completed a study on the potential price impacts of permitting greater liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports. The study marks the completion of another round of a longstanding debate on the subject—one many analysts suppose will be a big factor in the government’s final decision—and supports increased export permit issuance. In Ken Fisher’s view, though, the big benefits of this policy aren’t the obvious GDP-related ones. They’re harder to see.
At issue in this lengthy debate is whether the US should essentially forbid or permit exporting LNG in large quantities. Those opposed to exports are largely either consumer advocates (like Congressman Ed Markey of Massachusetts) or big volume consumers of LNG like Industrials firms with factories in the US. Each group argues the low prices brought by the shale gas boom should be reserved for Americans. For example, Congressman Markey argues consumers benefit from the reduced utility costs brought by cheaper gas. Many Industrials firms note the cheap gas is a competitive advantage for American firms, which they’re reluctant to share.
Those in favor of increased LNG exports are largely producers, shippers and so forth. Some tout the benefits of reducing the trade gap (which Ken Fisher would argue isn’t much of a problem in the first place). Companies, like drillers with a direct stake in natural gas, who’ve occasionally lost money due to such cheap gas prices. A more globalized market, they argue, would benefit the US by generating increased exports. So the government’s study focused primarily on these two factors: Exports’ benefit versus competitive and consumer advantages.
But the reality is, a vote for increased LNG exports—which we’d favor as well—isn’t one with much immediate impact on gas prices. You see, the infrastructure to liquefy and ship in large quantities simply doesn’t exist in the US yet. First, you’d need to pipe gas to the coasts. Then you’d need liquefaction plants and export terminals. These pieces of the export puzzle don’t commonly exist today and likely will take some time and effort to build.
In the US, there’s currently only one operational LNG export terminal, and it’s in Alaska—obviously, far removed from the shale boom’s hotspots in North Dakota, Pennsylvania and Texas (for example). Another LNG terminal in Louisiana, originally designed as an import facility in the days when it seemed imports would be needed, has requested permission to retrofit and export—which seems a spur for the debate. Additionally, plans exist in several other locations like Oregon to construct LNG terminals. So there is no real, immediate threat of higher prices should exports be permitted because US firms likely can’t start exporting quickly enough.
But if we didn’t permit exporting, there would be real economic loss many seemingly miss. For one, construction of the facilities needed to export wouldn’t likely happen—which in and of itself is a big potential economic boon. As many discussed during the Keystone pipeline debate, this sort of infrastructure spending—entirely private-sector funded—has big positive feedback loops. But moreover, it isn’t as though firms that extract gas would simply keep on drilling, profits be damned. If we had continued abundant supplies and demand didn’t keep pace, production would likely slow. Simply, firms won’t continue allocating resources to expanding gas production if they can’t sell the product at a profit. And that effect could be seen in mid-2012, when the number of rigs fell to a 13-year low after spot prices dipped below $2/mmbtu. If gas prices are too low to be profitable, firms will curtail production until they are. Which means, all else equal, gas prices would likely have risen had exports not been permitted.
Of course, the obvious positive impact of exporting gas is true—it’s more economic activity and likely benefits both us and our trade partners Yet sometimes, the harder-to-discern impact could be of even greater value. And that seems to be at work with permits to export gas.
If you would like to contact the editors responsible for this article, please click here.
*The content contained in this article represents only the opinions and viewpoints of the Fisher Investments editorial staff.


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SAN JOSE, Calif. — With a $13.2 million Series A round, startup AIStorm publicly enters an already crowded market for machine learning at the edge. It claims that its novel techniques of processing neural-networking tasks at the level of sensor signals will undercut rivals in power and cost.
The startup already has working 65-nm silicon for analog front ends (AFEs) and aims to sample chips by the end of the year addressing as many as six different markets. It claims that its 7 × 7-mm devices will deliver 2.5 TOPS and 11.1 TOPS/W.
Virtually every vendor of embedded processors has ramped up an AI strategy to ride an expected wave of machine-learning applications, many with their first products already available.
AIStorm hopes to leverage investors who will also act as partners and customers to take its products to market in volume in 2020. However, this year, it will have to build and demonstrate programming techniques for its new approach.
“Because they were available when the AI math emerged, the industry lurched into GPUs, but we want to eliminate GPUs at the edge because we believe we can deliver the equivalent to GHz+ digital processing at lower power levels using much older process technologies,” said David Schie, an analog chip veteran who is chief executive and co-founder of AIStorm.
To achieve that result, the startup works in what Schie calls the charge domain, processing raw signals before they are digitized from sensors such as CMOS imagers.
“We are working at the electron level, multiplying electrons,” while digital rivals convert signals for processing in steps that “add noise, power, and latency,” he said. But AIStorm is not using a “conventional analog multiplier, it’s a different way to do it” than used by analog rivals Mythic and Syntiant, who do analog processing in flash arrays.
For example, the startup’s chips work with CMOS sensors from investor TowerJazz. “The TowerJazz pixel is part of our input layer, so the charge comes from sensors, they produce electrons, and we multiply and move them,” Schie added.


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Vitamin D Reduces Mortality In One-Third Breast Cancer Patients
According to researchers, the link between vitamin D and breast cancer may be related to the vitamin role in promoting normal mammary-cell development, and inhibiting the reproduction of and promoting the death of cancer cells.
Apart from maintaining healthy bones, higher levels of vitamin D in the blood may also significantly improve survival in one-third of women diagnosed with breast cancer the most common form of cancer in women, a study has found.
A deficiency in the vitamin D levels commonly found in sun exposure, fatty fish oils, vitamin supplements, and fortified milks and cereals has been associated with the risk for several cancers, an online news agency reported weekend.
“We found that women with the highest levels of vitamin D levels had about a 30 per cent better likelihood of survival than women with the lowest levels,” said Lawrence H. Kushi, Research Scientist with the Kaiser Permanente a not for profit health care company in California, US.
This study adds to the evidence that vitamin D may play a key role in cancer prevention and prognosis and is also an important nutrient, Kushi added. According to researchers, the link between vitamin D and breast cancer may be related to the vitamin role in promoting normal mammary-cell development, and inhibiting the reproduction of and promoting the death of cancer cells.
In the study, the team included 1,666 participants who had a diagnosis of invasive breast cancer in 2006 to examine whether levels of a blood biomarker of Vitamin D – 25-hydroxyvitamin D (250HD) – at the time of breast cancer diagnosis were associated with survival. Higher 250HD blood levels were associated with better overall survival.
In premenopausal women, the association of higher blood levels of 250HD and overall survival was stronger. The study was published online in the journal JAMA Oncology.
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From TC to Cricket Legend, what an incredible journey Mahi has had! Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters Mahendra Singh Dhoni has given India... ...http://www.rediff.com/cricket/special/dhoni39-14-things-you-didnt-know/20200707.htm
Triumph Motorcycles discontinues Scrambler 900, Scrambler 1200, Bobber, Speed Twin and Thruxton R ...https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/wheels/triumph-motorcycles-discontinues-scrambler-900-scrambler-1200-bobber-speed-twinthruxton-r_13962281.html
Triumph Motorcycles India has launched the lighter, feature-packed and BS6 compliant Tiger 900 for 2020. Here's what all has changed on the latest... ...https://www.carandbike.com/news/triumph-tiger-900-all-you-need-to-know-2143404
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Select Triumph Motorcycles India dealerships have started accepting bookings for the upcoming Street Triple R street-fighter, ahead of its launch... ...https://www.carandbike.com/news/triumph-street-triple-r-bookings-open-across-dealerships-ahead-of-launch-this-month-2247339
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AFFERO GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
USL licenses economy brands to local bottlers
USL has struck deals with local bottling chieftains like Tilak Raj Sharma for Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, Ponty Chadha family in Uttar Pradesh, and others.
Boxing-McGregor applies for Nevada boxing license - reports
BOXING-MAYWEATHER/MCGREGOR:Boxing-McGregor applies for Nevada boxing license - reports
Sabres name Botterill as general manager
ICEHOCKEY-NHL-BUF/BOTTERILL:NHL-Sabres name Botterill as general manager
Boxing: McGregor applies for Nevada boxing license - reports
BOXING-MAYWEATHER-MCGREGOR:Boxing: McGregor applies for Nevada boxing license - reports
Generals back to classrooms for tech update
Sources on Monday said the Army commanders' conference, chaired by General Bipin Rawat last week, cleared the decision for short-duration training courses.
For Lamborghini India, all publicity is good publicity
The luxury sports carmaker's Sharad Agarwal explains why negative publicity can’t hurt the desirability of the vehicle.
Djokovic. Novak Djokovic. Licensed to thrill
TENNIS-OPEN-DJOKOVIC:Djokovic. Novak Djokovic. Licensed to thrill
MHA order revoking license of PHFI lists 7 'undesirable activities'
The seven "undesirable activities" include declaring only six of its 151 bank accounts and wrongful declaration of Rs 43 crore received for anti-tobacco lobbying.
Spotify ensures independent artists are on board with fresh licensing deal
The agreement come weeks after the music streaming service reached a licensing deal with Universal.
Will Harish Salve be wooed again for role of attorney general?
Salve was PM Modi's first choice for attorney general. Salve had turned down the offer to be the top law officer citing his commitments, but Modi had tried to persuade him to change his mind.
Government seeks public views on future of bitcoin
The government has sought comments on this question from the public for deciding the viability or other wise of Virtual Currencies (VC) or bitcoins.
Eshwarappa seeks truce after public spat with Yeddyurappa
Both the leaders have been openly criticising each other in recent weeks, following questions raised on Yeddyurappa's "unilateral style" of functioning.
General Motors ceases production at Halol plant
The company's arm, General Motors India will now operate all of its manufacturing operations from its second plant at Talegaon in Maharashtra.
Govt mulling public auction of NPAs
According to reports, the govt is mulling public auction of NPAs for big defaulters.
Tennis-Djokovic. Novak Djokovic. Licensed to thrill.
TENNIS-OPEN/DJOKOVIC:Tennis-Djokovic. Novak Djokovic. Licensed to thrill.


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McDonald's Monopoly is returning for 2020 - and here is everything you need to know before it starts again.
Previous prizes have included £100,000 in cash, a Mini Cooper, Boohoo shopping vouchers and even a PS4.
But when does it start this year and how can you get involved? We've got all of the details below.
McDonalds has not yet announced the prizes for this year's Monopoly.
But adverts for it have started to appear on food trays.
Peel-back stickers will be attached to boxes, cups and cartons, with some offering an instant win and others taking you online to redeem a code, or you can collect game pieces to complete sets and win even bigger prizes.
Each game piece will have two or three stickers - and the bigger the meal, the bigger the possible prize.
The McDonald's Monopoly promotion has typically started in late March and finished in early May.
BirminghamLive can hazard a guess that this is likely to potentially happen again, with McDonald's announcing the start date and advertising from two weeks before that, which insiders reckon will be around mid-March.
Last year the giveaway started on March 21 and previously it was on March 22 in 2017.
The game allows you to collect stickers from selected menu items, and there are two ways to win – either peel an ‘instant win’ sticker straight off the packaging and claim at the counter, or collect property sets as you would in normal Monopoly to win a bigger prize.


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Once popular across smartphone users, homegrown Indian companies have lost out in the race to Chinese brands, which today account for six out of every 10 devices sold in the country. Indian brands such as Micromax, Karbonn, Lava and Intex - which used to lord over the burgeoning smartphone market till just four years ago - are just a pale shadow of their dominant self, finishing 2018 with a single-digit share against 43% recorded in 2015.
Chinese brands such as Xiaomi, OnePlus have been witnessing massive growth as they introduced new models, packed them with latest features, and backed it up with aggressive pricing. Having harnessed the online sales channels through an intelligent 'flash sales' mode to create a buzz around their highly affordable devices, the companies have now started to target the offline - or brick-and-mortar - market through 'Made in India' devices, even unsettling Korean behemoth Samsung from the top position in the process.
So, what led to this fall of Indian brands? "The Chinese brands had been very aggressive from the very beginning. They were very strong when the transition from 3G to 4G devices was happening," says Tarun Pathak, associate director at Counterpoint Research. "Indian brands - such as Micromax - were busy clearing large pile-up of 3G inventory, which was clearly outdated."
Also, Indian brands failed to read larger consumer trends. As Chinese companies expanded their portfolio and brought in new features, Indian companies were slow to react, lagging in introducing features such as 4G, dual camera, finger-print sensor, or glass-back. For example, Counterpoint estimates that glass-back - which gives a premium feel to devices - is already on 26% of smartphones, and is expected to have a 60% share by end-2020.
The Chinese companies' decision to initially target the online model really worked in terms of keeping costs under check and reaching buyers faster. Also, their focus on highpitched marketing and advertising campaigns - even an expensive cricket sponsorship -helped them gain visibility very fast. "Indian companies were not in touch with reality, and had lost focus," says Mohan Shukla, a telecom industry veteran and CEO of consulting firm FinXPros.
It is time to have "champion Indian brands" to counter the trend, says Pankaj Mohindroo, chairman of India Cellular and Electronics Association. "We have sought a special dispensation from the government for creating global Indian companies. It is the need of the hour. Fighting Chinese brands is like fighting a nation."


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Taken from the ‘How 2020 changed the industry’ panel at the SBC Digital Summit CIS conference the session looks at some of the takeaways from 2020 and how can the CIS region continue to develop its igaming ecosystem.
What is it?
The pandemic has had a profound impact on society, including business operations and consumer trends. However, such challenges ultimately drive innovation and change. This session talks about the rise in the diversification of products, the reach into new markets and the impact travel restrictions have had on retail markets in the region.
Who is it?
Maka Gorgadze, CMO, Casino Adjara
Vedran Katić, COO, Pin Projekt
Oleksandr Laroshenko, CEO, Betbazar
Mark McGuinness, Director of Marketing & Customer Success, Dam Mad Media Limited
Dainis Niedra, COO, Optibet
Marcos Oliveira, Head of Business Development, Clever Advertising Group
What is being said?
Gorgadze: “The situation is not very optimistic for land-based casinos. Statistically in the Batumi region, around 85% [of figures] are based on tourists and guests, and if we take a local market in Tbilisi, around 50% are tourists.
“So, our entire land-based casinos are based on tourists, which is 70% of tourists compared to 30% of locals. Money wise as well, locals are not the ones you can operate on. Most of our guests who gamble are from regions like Iran, Kuwait and Azerbaijan which are countries where gambling is prohibited so they would come here.
“We’ve been closed since March and we’ve tried to have meetings with government officials but they never came back to us. Employees tried to strike but that didn’t help because the community looks at this business in a very negative way so most of the people are happy that casinos are closed.”
Why should I watch it?
To get an overview of how the pandemic has effected the CIS region looking at what worked, what didn’t work, and given the chance, how companies might have changed their approach.
Where can I see more?
Source: SBC YouTube Channel


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Sony Electronics today confirmed previous plans to restructure its organization and announced the closure of U.S. shops thus, a significant headcount reduction.
Earlier this month, Sony Corp. announced during its earnings conference an estimated headcount reduction of roughly 5,000 employees globally. U.S. nased Sony Electronics confirmed a total staff reduction of one-third by the end of the calendar year, affecting approximately 1,000 employees across all sites. In addition, in an effort to further streamline costs, Sony announced the closure of 20 U.S. Sony Stores
"While these moves were extremely tough, they were absolutely necessary to position us in the best possible place for future growth," said Mike Fasulo, President and COO of Sony Electronics. "I am entirely confident in our ability to turn the business around, in achieving our preferred future, and continue building on our flawless commitment to customer loyalty through the complete entertainment experience only Sony can offer."
Sony said it continues to focus in premium products across all of CE, including all-things-4K, and further plans to strengthen its 4K product lineup and bolstering 2K models in 2014, with a commitment to the future success of its U.S. television business. The company will place an increased focus on its premium products ? including its digital imaging line, high-resolution audio, and full suite of professional solutions ? while leveraging its strengths in hardware, content and gaming.


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Brian Young, director general at the British Frozen Food Federation, talks to Shaun Weston about a new BFFF report entitled 'A Case for Frozen Food'.
The report demonstrates how BFFF is working to promote the benefits of frozen food to consumers and foodservice operators in the UK, particularly the pub sector.
- Recorded, produced and hosted by: Shaun Weston
- Subscribe to our FoodBev.com YouTube channel
More videos …
- Tate & Lyle opens polydextrose dietary fibre facility in China
- Top 10 stories on FoodBev.com, August 2014
- Special Edition Goats' Cheese & Beetroot Fiorelli by Ugo Foods


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Elon Musk doesn’t want to be “overconfident.” He really doesn’t. But when it comes to Tesla’s development of self-driving car technology, it’s pretty much “game, set, and match” because Tesla is “vastly ahead” of everyone else.
These are Musk’s words — to be clear — not ours. We don’t have a horse in this race, I can assure you. But many companies do; in fact, a tally by CB Insight last year accounted for 46 corporations who were spending R&D dollars on autonomous vehicle development.
But back to Tesla. The electric vehicle maker has famously offered a semi-autonomous system for its vehicles called Autopilot, but in a recent interview with Lex Fridman’s Artificial Intelligence podcast, Elon said that Tesla already has hardware capable of fully autonomous driving. As the company continues to refine and test, it will become more consistent and then gain regulatory approval.
But the strangest addition he made to this point, according to a report by CNet’s Road Show, is that he envisions the autonomous system, once integrated, will actually make Teslas an appreciating asset — possibly worth even five times more than the purchase price.
Another shocking point from Musk is that he believes we’ll be keeping our hands on the wheel for “at least six more months,” which is a much tighter timeline than many believe to be a reality. In a February report, PC Magazine stressed that driverless cars still have a long way to go and “before we reach the driverless, accident-free utopia we've been dreaming of for decades, we must overcome several hurdles, and they're not all technical.” PC Mag says readying roadways, pedestrians, and machine-to-machine communication will require more time and effort before we see these vehicles hit the streets.


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GA 2: Economic and Financial
-Blockchain and sustainable growth
There’s a completely new world, building up with 0’s and 1’s. Big changes mean history, whether it is favorable or not. Today, humanity is witnessing one: “Blockchain”. In 2008, Developer(s) working under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto released a white paper establishing the model for a blockchain. Simply put, blockchain is a decentralized database, which stores a registry of assets and transactions across a peer-to-peer network. In essence, blockchain is a technology that lowers the uncertainty which we face when exchanging value. Whilst anonymity is often a core feature of blockchain technology; trust is not an issue as all members of the network hold a record of all transactions, making blockchain almost impossible to tamper with. This year ECOFIN will be debating on the impact of blockchain technology on the sustainability of development worldwide. Is it going to help us achieve these goals in a more effective way? Is it going to even increase the financial gap between people around the world? Is it going to change the definition of international finance and transactions?


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Now we can all be wedding belles: Urban Outfitters launches chain of vintage-style bridal boutiques
If Kate Middleton has chosen her wedding dress designer already, she's probably kicking herself.
URBN, which is the parent company behind Urban Outfitters, Free People and Anthropologie, has expanded into a new market with a chain of bridal boutiques.
Bhldn, which is pronounced 'beholden' echoes the offbeat vintage style that has made its sister brands so popular.
Vintage-inspired: Bhldn echoes the offbeat vintage style that has made sisters brand Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters so popular. Brides-to-be can expect unfinished hemlines, loose bows and subtle embellishment
Instead of the traditional meringues and minimalist columns that dominate the market, brides-to-be can expect unfinished hemlines, loose bows and subtle embellishment.
The brand launched yesterday, appropriately on Valentine's Day as an online store, with a freestanding boutique expected to launch in the U.S. in August.
It is significantly more expensive than Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie, with wedding dresses costing up to $4,000, and bridesmaid and 'event' dresses in the region of $200-$600.
A spokeswoman for the label told how Bhldn follows the style lead of Anthropologie.
'I kind of think of Bhldn as the sophisticated older sister,' said managing director Kristin Norris, who explained that there was a gap in the market.
'Sophisticated older sister': URBN believes there is a gap in the market for a chic new bridal brand like Bhldn
'We’re offering a take that’s not out there. We have a lot of shorter dresses, lots of colour and prints and no optic white dresses.
'We’ll attract a bride who is looking to reflect her vision. She may be a more mature or sophisticated bride. Our customer skews slightly older, but she’s still under 30.'
As well as wedding dresses, Bhldn sells vintage-look accessories, lingerie and jewellery, with tableware, cake-toppers and invitations launching from May.
There is even a team of stylists on hand to help brides-to-be plan their big day.
Accessorise all areas: The boutique, which opened on Valentine's Day, also sells shoes, lingerie and jewellery
'I can see us getting involved with event planning, helping with the look and feel of a wedding,' Ms Norris said. 'We’re not going to be like J.Lo in The Wedding Planner.’
She added that she was hoping to open 50 stores in the U.S. over the next few years.
Though Bhldn gowns are not be cheap, the price point is a far cry from high-end designer gowns by the likes of Oscar de la Renta and Vera Wang, which can cost in the region of $10,000, without compromising on fashion-forward style.
URBN is not the first company to attempt to bridge the gap in the market. Vera Wang launches a collection of gowns for nationwide retailer David's Bridal this week, while J Crew opened a bridal boutique on New York's Madison Avenue last year.
Check out the Bhldn range now at bhldn.com
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South Australia’s food producers and manufacturers are encouraged to enter the 2012 South Australian Food Industry Awards before the entry deadline on Wednesday, July 18.
Hosted by Food SA, the annual awards recognise outstanding achievement in the South Australian food industry and reward businesses and individuals that have demonstrated vision, leadership and excellence in their field.
All South Australian food manufacturers and producers are encouraged to enter for the opportunity to showcase their success, benchmark their business and boost their profile.
Finalists will be announced on Wednesday, October 3 and winners will be awarded at the 2012 Food Industry Awards Gala Dinner at the Adelaide Convention Centre on Friday, November 16.
Robern Menz Chief Executive Officer, Mr Phil Sims, said there were many benefits for manufacturers and producers who entered the South Australian Food Industry Awards.
We have been entering the awards since 2006 and won a total of four awards in a number of categories, Mr Sims said.
We have found that attending the Gala Dinner and winning an award is a huge thrill and rewards our staff for the great work they do.
The written component of the award entry process has also become an effective self-analysis tool that we can use to benchmark our company against the rest of the industry and identify areas for further improvement.
Furthermore, obtaining feedback from judges who are highly respected in the industry during the onsite judging process provides us with a valuable learning tool each year.
Food SA Chief Executive Officer, Ms Catherine Barnett, said all businesses and individuals who entered the 2012 South Australian Food Industry Awards would receive additional benefits – just for entering.
Food SA has strong partnerships with over 20 service providers in a variety of areas including business strategy and planning, finance, law, food technology, labelling and safety, branding and design, microbiology, marketing, media, nutrition, photography, refrigeration and sustainability, Ms Barnett said.
Each entrant into the Awards will receive the benefit of two hours of mentoring and coaching with one of these participating service providers of their choice and free of charge. This is a unique opportunity for companies to get a real benefit for their business.
Small and large sized businesses are catered for this year with categories split for the first time into two levels based on size, so there is a level playing field for all who enter. The whole process has changed and we encourage those who have entered in the past as well as new entrants to be part of the awards.


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While the sudden outbreak of COVID19 has brought China and the rest of the world to unprecedented tests to curb this global pandemic, many parts of the world has experienced extreme shortages of life-saving medical supplies, especially necessary personal protective equipment (a.k.a. PPEs) such as face masks, due to severe disruption to the global supply chain and shipping routes.
At personal level, many Preekem’s global partners faced exact challenges as the virus was sweeping their countries. In the eyes of Mr. Ni, President and CEO of Preekem, he simply couldn’t sit back without extending a helping hand and he was quick to take actions.
Since March 2020, Preekem has sent thousands of respirators to hard-hit countries such as Italy, Czech Republic, Poland, Malaysia and Belarus, in supporting our international partners getting through this difficult time.
In China, Preekem’s operation has been on smooth recovery since mid February and its sales and production functions were fully resumed in March, thanks to the solid supply channels and collective efforts made by all employees.
We wish all of our cus
tomers, partners, friends and their families the very best and stay safe and healthy in the months to come.


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All of Monday’s best Apple deals are now live and headlined by a new all-time low on Apple Watch Series 9. A discount down to $299 comes joined much of the same best-ever price on Apple’s AirPods 3 at $140, as well as the second-ever chance to save on Apple Pencil with USB-C at $69. Hit the jump for all that and more in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break.
Apple Watch Series 9 styles drop to $299
Amazon is now offering the best discount we have ever seen on Apple Watch Series 9. The savings today land on 41mm GPS styles at $299 each. That’s $100 off the usual $399 price tag and even beating our previous mention by an extra $10 to mark a new all-time low.
Now centered around the new S9 chip, Apple Watch Series 9 arrives with much of the same build as previous models – just with some enhancements. It’ll still provide the same fitness tracking experience as before, but now packs a 3,000-nit screen that can turn all the way down to 1-nit. There’s newfound pinch detection for one-handed interactions with your wearable that just rolled out earlier in the week, as well as a build that is the first carbon neutral release from Apple.
Apple’s AirPods 3 return to the Amazon all-time low of $140
Apple’s latest AirPods 3 are now getting in on the savings for the first time in nearly 2 months. Courtesy of Amazon, the retailer is offering the earbuds for $140. This is the model with the Lightning-enabled charging case, which drops down from its usual $169 price tag. This is $29 off and matching the all-time low last tracked back in the beginning of December.
Apple’s latest entry-level earbuds originally launched back in October of 2021 and then were refreshed with a new wired-only charging case last fall that takes much of the same page out of the pro version’s playbook as before. While you’re ditching the silicone eartips, AirPods 3 arrive with much of the same Spatial Audio support, as well as added water-resistance for tagging along on runs or workouts. Circling back to the charging case, there’s no MagSafe charging on this model, with only a Lightning port on the bottom to refuel when you’ve worked through the 30 hours of listening time.
Apple Pencil with USB-C falls to new all-time low of $69
We’re now tracking the second-ever discount to date on the new Apple Pencil with USB-C. Courtesy of Amazon, you can now bring home the more affordable iPad stylus for $69. This is a new all-time low at $10 off the usual $79 price tag and marking the first price cut since all the way back on Black Friday. That previous discount had it at $71, so now you can save an extra $2. Dive into our launch coverage for a rundown of what to expect.
The new Apple Pencil with USB-C arrives as a more affordable stylus to use with the latest iPads. It sports the same build as the second-generation model that preceded it, just without some of the frills. There’s no magnetic charging, instead relying on the USB-C port that gives the accessory its name. It’ll still connect onto the side of your tablet with a built-in magnet, though, and makes another trade-off with the exclusion of pressure sensitivity.
Best trade-in deals
9to5Mac also keeps tabs on all the best trade-in deals on iPhone, iPad, MacBook, Apple Watch, and more every month. Be sure to check out this month’s best trade-in deals when you decide it’s time to upgrade your device, or simply head over to our trade-in partner directly if you want to recycle, trade, or sell your used devices for cash and support 9to5Mac along the way!
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


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Dear Readers and Advertisers,
We are delighted to bring you the inaugural edition of IndiFoodBev – Processing & Packaging. Aimed at building a world-class platform for an emerging world-class food industry, the bi-monthly B2B publication serves as a window to the latest innovations and developments in the food & beverage processing and packaging industry. Business development and growth together with new technology, equipment, government policies, testing instruments and laboratories, logistics, retailing and marketing strategies are the subject of this platform.
Food processing industry poised for growth
A MakeinIndia survey on the food processing sector reports that India’s US$ 600 billion (approximately Rs 42,87,330 crore) food processing industry is at an inflection point in its growth. Currently second in terms of global food production, it leads in the production of pulses, mangoes, banana, milk, ginger and buffalo meat, and is the second-largest producer of rice, wheat, potato, garlic, cashew nut, groundnut, dry onion, green peas, pumpkin, gourds, cauliflower, sugarcane and tea. Only 10% of agricultural produce is processed, but given the potential this is an underachievement leading to much waste on the farm side itself. Only 2% of vegetables and fruits are processed in India in comparison to 90% in the USA and 40% in China.
Post-harvest wastage and government action
Although a big exporter of agricultural products, India’s value addition in food and beverage products is still low. Much of the post-harvest wastage of fruits and vegetables of around 30 to 40% is attributed to factors such as the lack of a structured food processing, packaging, logistics and retail industry.
The food processing industry can halve this loss with a positive effect on the entire economy as around 55% of the Indian population is directly dependent on agriculture. Apart from its food industrial parks, the central government’s ministry of food processing industries is building a strong cold storage infrastructure for the dairy, fish and horticultural industries. It is currently assisting 135 integrated cold chain projects in the country.
Improving the food and beverage supply chain with direct farming, contract farming and a negotiable warehouse receipt system are mechanisms to streamline, strengthen and shorten the food supply chain. India is the biggest producer of numerous fruits and vegetables, whose shelf life can be extended by investment in infrastructure such as cold storage, reefer vans and radiation plants. Indian food and beverage companies are keen to adopt new technologies for the sourcing, sorting, processing, packaging and distribution of innovative and nutritious food & beverage products.
Food quality and safety
Use of fertilizers, pesticides and other chemicals raise concerns about food quality and safety and consumer protection is needed from hazardous practices such as adulteration. The Indian Food Safety and Standards Act was enacted in 2006 to provide a single-point reference for all matters relating to food processing, packaging and labeling safety and standards.
As an industry platform spanning the food supply chain at just the right time, IndiFoodBev needs your ideas to establish the context for a targeted industry platform. With an economy and demographic in rapid transition, daily uploads on www.indifoodbev.com website will try to keep up with the excitement. Our previews and coverage of food and beverage industry exhibitions and conferences will also give us frequent opportunities to meet and interact with our readers and supporters globally.


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Russia’s war in Ukraine is a humanitarian catastrophe. It is also sending shockwaves through the global economy, well beyond the conflict zone. Latest analysis by the OECD shows that global economic growth could be set back by more than 1 percentage point this year due to the conflict and related sanctions.
The tourism sector, which directly accounts for nearly 7% of jobs in the OECD is likely to be among the hardest hit – again. Globally, air travel stopped almost entirely during the pandemic.
In 2020, there were 1 billion fewer international trips with only marginal improvement in 2021.
For two years, this has meant millions of tourism jobs, careers and businesses have been put at risk or on hold in the world’s most popular destinations. Many relied on emergency government support for their survival.
The new year provided the industry with the promise of a new dawn. As travel restrictions eased, visitors started making grand plans. Tripadvisor reported a higher intent to travel in 2022 than pre-pandemic in all five markets covered by their survey (the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore and Japan), and a higher average spend per trip too. Demand for international air travel in January 2022 was up 165% on January 2021, and February’s ticket sales pointed to continued strong growth. Tourism was back in business, with expectations of a return to pre-pandemic levels by 2024.
The long way round
The war in Ukraine now poses major challenges for tourism businesses still licking their wounds from the pandemic. The conflict could hold back the fragile tourism recovery and add uncertainty about future prospects and investment. The Russian outbound market, worth EUR 32.5 billion to destination markets pre-pandemic, is the sixth largest in the world but with a higher ranking in countries such as Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, where travel restrictions are in place.
Even destinations that remain open to Russian airlines – such as Israel and Turkey – will be affected as Russian tourists are challenged by restrictions on card payments and volatility in the price of the rouble.
Wider markets for tourism will be impacted too. First through falling confidence in the safety and security of travel to European destinations. The United States is the second largest international market after China, and has been slower to recover from previous shocks. European operators are now reporting that the conflict is already negatively affecting advance bookings for travel to Europe this summer.
Flight bookings within Europe fell by 23% the week after the outbreak of war, and flights to Europe from the United States were down 13%. Countries close to the conflict zone – Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia – have seen a 30-50% collapse in bookings.
Second, the closure of Russian airspace has added time and cost for many companies traveling between Europe and Asia, discouraging long-haul trips. Eurocontrol, the European air traffic manager estimates that avoiding Russian airspace for a flight between Paris and Tokyo, adds more than 1000 nautical miles and 150 minutes.
Even where tourists are still willing and able to travel in principle, rising fuel, food and energy prices will reduce their spending power and margins for the sector’s squeezed businesses. In Australia, for example, figures collected by the RACV show rising fuel prices would increase the costs of a round trip from Melbourne to Mallacoota – a popular vacation spot – from AUD 139 (before February 19) to AUD 163 by mid-March.
Businesses including hotels, restaurants and tour operators – 85% of which are SMEs – were already in a fragile financial situation after a tough two years in which they ran down their reserves and ran up debts during long periods of closure. Many now have little buffer to absorb these price shocks, especially since emergency support measures – which succeeded in supporting many jobs and firms during the pandemic – have been withdrawn in many countries.
As pressures mount and combine in different ways in different destinations, tourism jobs, careers, and businesses are again at risk in many countries.Lamia Kamal-Chaoui, OECD
Policy makers are looking for new ways to support the sector. In some countries, such as in Poland and Estonia, they are using spare capacity in hotels to house refugees. Countries are also examining whether the sector can support routes to work for refugees, providing them with income and better prospects for integration while addressing skills gaps for businesses.
More innovative solutions are needed in many countries to survive the turbulent times ahead. The OECD will continue to monitor the situation through its Tourism Committee and report on emerging policies to support the sector in the weeks and months to come.
Explore OECD work on Tourism at oecd.org/cfe/tourism


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News Stories Showing 41-60 of 63 results found
Vonage sets IPO pricing range April 28, 2006 Net telephony company issues a range of $16 to $18 a share, seeks proceeds between $500 million and $562.5 million.
Nasdaq hits new 52-week low December 20, 2000 Wall Street is bracing for the Nasdaq to turn in its worst yearly performance ever, with a 42.7 percent drop since January and a 54.6 percent drop since its all-time high March 10.
Oracle pulls buyout offer for BEA Systems October 29, 2007 The $6.7 billion buyout bid is kaput, Oracle says, as BEA holds its ground on a per-share price and investor Carl Icahn agitates for board action.
'Vonage the Dog' bites back June 30, 2006 A month after an IPO, company execs say they're ignoring pundit's insults and see strong prospects ahead.
Shareholders take stock of Apple April 27, 2006 At annual meeting, Steve Jobs tells shareholders that Apple's doing well by the environment, as well as in its shift to Intel processors.
Tech vets making leap to green tech May 29, 2007 Clean-tech companies are hiring IT veterans as they look to bring Silicon Valley-style entrepreneurship to slow-moving industries.
Sponsored matches for "investor"


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- A cafe in Tokyo offered standing sleeping pods for customers.
- The experience prompted mixed reviews from YouTubers and TikTok users using the pods.
- "Only in Japan would you get a solution for a problem that doesn't exist," said one YouTuber.
In August, a cafe in Tokyo began offering customers an unusual way to power nap — standing sleeping pods.
The promotional offer prompted confused reviews from YouTubers and TikTok who visited the cafe.
"Only in Japan would you get a solution for a problem that doesn't exist," said YouTuber Connor Colquhoun in a video posted on August 25 about his experience using what he described as a "budget-looking medieval torture device."
His video has since received over 4 million views and depicts Colquhuon trying to get comfortable in a forest-themed sleeping pod.
"Why did Japan make this?" Colquhoun captioned his video review.
He added that though he was skeptical of the pod, the experience was not that bad.
"It kind of felt like all the pressure was being taken off my spine, and I could finally just chill out for a bit, until I realized I have a perfectly good bed at home, and I'm fine with that," he said in the video.
The pods have adjustable lights and armrests, according to a review by SoraNews24 published in August. Customers can also choose between a space-themed or forest-themed sleeping pod.
Another user, @JapanOnTikTok, shared his experience using the cafe's space-themed standing sleeping pod in a video published on August 23. The video has since been viewed over 6 million times.
"Once you're set, the staff will lock you up and send you to space," the user joked. "Once I was in space, it was actually a bit cozy, but I could hear some noise coming from outside."
"It's quite a comfortable position, unexpectedly so," said TikTok user @tombotravelsjapan in a video posted Wednesday, "It feels really good on the body, I don't feel any pressure."
The cafe's promotion ended on Sunday, but the standing sleeping pods are set to be sold by their manufacturer, Giraffenap.
The company did not disclose when or where it would be selling the pods but appears to be aiming them at companies as a "comfortable environment for in-office napping," per Giraffenap's website.
Japan isn't the only place deploying these pods, however. In 2019, a New York co-working space also came with pods for users to power nap in.
However, such pods have long been a Japanese staple.
The Nescafe Harajuku and Giraffenap did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider.


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Macron wants Europe to become less reliant on US, China post-coronavirus
French President Emmanuel Macron said Europe as a whole needs to be less economically beholden to the U.S. and China moving forward.
“This ordeal has exposed flaws and fragilities: our dependence to other continents to get our hands on some goods,” Macron said over the weekend in a national TV address, referring to the coronavirus pandemic. “I want us to draw all the lessons from what we have learned.”
France, the second largest economy in the European Union behind Germany, is beginning to reopen after being shuttered for more than two months because of the pandemic.
Macron during his address said that restaurants and cafes in Paris would be allowed to fully reopen on Monday, the Evening Standard reported. Despite the reopening, the French government has predicted France’s economy will constrict 11 percent this year.
The president noted that much of Europe relies heavily on China for important goods such as car parts, smart phones and pharmaceuticals. Those supply chains were decimated when the pandemic began in the Chinese city of Wuhan and as countries around the globe competed for the same limited medical products.
“The only answer is to build a new, stronger economic model, work and produce more, so as not to rely on others,” Macron said.


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By Yo Pitts! Foods
Yo Pitts! Foods is a New York based company serving up healthy and delicious condiments to help make cooking gourmet quality meals much simpler. Their premium quality condiments are all-natural and made in New York.
Along with transforming how foodies order their meals and discover new dishes, the diet social networking app's new "Dish Together" feature now makes it easy for users to find new friends and even that special someone.
By Abasto Magazine
Sysco Corporation launched Sysco Simply, a platform designed to enable customers to accommodate the growing consumer demand for varied dietary and lifestyle choices.
Summit gathers food industry leaders, scientists, innovators and investors for networking and thought-provoking discussion on the future of food
By Masala Box
Restaurants worldwide use various techniques to preserve food depending on factors like the ingredient, the climate, taste required, etc.
Many of you may have heard that it is better to consume extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) than butter. But ... Exactly why? In this post, we will study the differences between both FAT and about the concrete benefits of EVOO vs. Butter.
By Hippie Kitchen
Hippie Kitchen Debuts Fresh and Delicious Fare in New Orleans
Fact.MR's recently published report reveals that the global vitamins and derivatives market is expected to reach 165,075 tons by volume by 2026-end.
By REDMOND Industrial Group
A happy future begins today with a good tone and perfect mood. It's not a secret that good health guarantee is a healthy diet. But it may be news to many people that a way to a healthy diet is shorter and more pleasant than it may seem.


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Co-no! Vanilla ice cream price is set to soar this summer as fears grow for this year's crop
- Spice more expensive than silver due to jitters ahead of Madagascar harvest
- Fears of a poor season have pushed prices up towards £425 a kilogramme
- London parlour chain Oddono temporarily stopped selling vanilla ice cream
Ice cream lovers face a difficult summer after vanilla pod prices surged back to record levels amid fears for this year's crop.
The spice is now more expensive than silver thanks to jitters ahead of the harvest in Madagascar, the world's top vanilla grower.
Vanilla plants on the African island have finished flowering and their pods are now growing larger.
Ice cream lovers face a difficult summer after vanilla pod prices surged
But until harvesting begins in June, it is impossible to know how much vanilla will be produced.
And fears of a poor season have pushed prices up towards $600 (£425) a kilogramme - more than silver, which trades at around $530.
It will revive memories of last year's great vanilla shortage, when prices rocketed in a wave of panic buying after a tropical storm hit Madagascar.
The lack of supply hit firms of all sizes, with behemoth Nestle hiking the price of its Swiss Movenpick ice cream range by 2.5 per cent in response.
At the other end of the scale, small London parlour chain Oddono temporarily stopped selling vanilla ice creams because of the shortage.
Prices dropped back to $550 per kg at the end of 2017 on hopes a better year lay ahead.
Madagascar supplies up to 80 per cent of the global vanilla bean market, and rival producers such as Indonesia and India do not grow enough to make up for any shortfalls there.
Turbulence in the market has hit other products too.
Madagascar supplies up to 80 per cent of the global vanilla bean market
'Spent' vanilla specks - used-up beans which are ground together and resold - have jumped in price from $40 to $150 per kg.
They are typically used by food firms alongside artificial vanilla flavouring, because this allows businesses to say their products contain real pods and put a picture of a one on their packages.
Only 1 per cent of vanilla extract used in food and make-up comes from the plant.
The rest is made by extracting vanillin molecules from coal tar, petroleum and wood - as well as some other foods such as oils from rice and cloves.
Artificial flavour firms say there has been a rise in demand for their products, although big brands including Nestle and Ben & Jerry's maker Unilever have pledged to ditch manmade chemicals in favour of natural alternatives.
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After dribbling out information for months on the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder, the Japanese manufacturer has finally spilled the beans on its all-new crossover.
Read This Article
People buy electric and hybrid cars for many reasons: To make a statement, to save fuel, or to stop sending money to OPEC countries.
This could be the most exciting thing to happen to the dated Nissan Sentra since its introduction back in 2007.
While we're not quite back at the pre-recession high of 17 million vehicles sold in the U.S.


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BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Oneida shop more than an office store
ONEIDA — A staple of the community, Oneida Office Supply is more than an office supply store.
Originally owned by Mayor Helen Acker around seven years ago, Nancy Kinney was a frequent shopper and heard it was on the market. “I had said jokingly ‘Where are we going to shop now?’ and then just decided I was going to buy it,” Kinney said.
While Kinney owns the shop, her daughter Stacy Jones works as manager. “When I bought Oneida Office Supply, it was just running the register for retail customers,” Kinney said. “My daughter changed up a lot. We had a lot of floor space, so we decided to add more shelving and start selling things that aren’t office supplies,” Jones said. “While we have items to run a business, we [branched out.] We sell school supplies, gifts, and other items that you couldn’t find in Oneida at the time.”
School supplies were a big one, with Jones being a former teacher. Oneida Office Supply is a one-stop-spot for parents looking to outfit their children for the coming school year.
“We have a UPS drop off, we can do laminating, we have business card services, and so much more,” Jones said. “And what we can’t do in-house, we work with local print shops so people can come in for one-stop shopping.”
“We actually did better staying open during the pandemic,” Kinney said, explaining how they operated during a global pandemic that left many businesses crippled.
“We had all the doors locked, but we were answering phones and taking orders while being no contact,” she said. “People would come to the back door to pick things up.”
And one thing that really brought people to Oneida Office Supply during the pandemic?
“We had toilet paper,” Jones said with a laugh. “That was a huge, saving grace. We advertised that we were selling toilet paper, but we also started selling things like craft kits.”
Altering hours and operating behind closed doors, Oneida Office Supply weathered the pandemic and picked up some dedicated customers along the way. “We were taking care of offices still open during the pandemic, and nobody else was doing that,” Kinney said. “People still needed products and our phones were busy.”
Though the end of the school year is still a ways away and the new one is even further, Oneida Office Supply is still thinking about the next generation of students.
“We have a program in place where parents can place an order for their children,” Jones said. “They can call up and tell us who their child’s teacher is, and we can pull up that teacher’s school supply list, put it together, total up the price, and the parents can just pick it up and pay for it — no hassle.”
Back to school can be the busiest season, with bags upon bags of school supplies filling the store. And with help from local agencies like Community Action Partnership, those in need can have their school supply cost taken care of.
“When schools get ready to close, we’ll be gearing up for our next back to school season,” Jones said.
More than office supplies
More than anything, Kinney and Jones wants to make it clear that though their name is ‘Oneida Office Supply,’ they do so much more.
“The biggest misconception is that we just sell office supplies,” Jones said. “Every single day, at least one person walks through our door and says they had no idea we were here or that we have a lot more in it than they thought. ... We have a rich history and we offer a little bit of everything.”
For more information, visit www.oneidaofficesupply.com/
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The NFTs are based on the Polygon blockchain and are priced at $99 (roughly Rs. 8,200).
- Meta Preparing to Announce Decision on Donald Trump's Return to Facebook, Instagram: Report
- Donald Trump on Releasing NFT Cards: 'Did It for the Cute Art'
- Kanye West announced his official election for the US President
Donald Trump is the latest public figure to have forayed into the NFT sector despite the sales of digital collectibles having been down for most part of this year. The former President of the US has released a collection of 45,000 fantasy cards called the ‘Trump Digital Trading Cards'. The NFTs are based on the Polygon blockchain and are priced at $99 (roughly Rs. 8,200). Buyers will also be able to make the purchases in Ether (ETH) tokens and fiat currencies.
These digital cards display dramatic avatars of Trump, showing him as a super-human, astronaut, golf-player, and a boxer, among others.
If a user checks out with 45 NFTs at once, the buyer will be presented with a ticket to a gala dinner with Trump.
A commercial curated by Trump advertising these NFTs has also emerged on social media.
“Each Trump Digital Trading Card has a unique identifier that cannot be copied, is recorded on a blockchain, and can be used to certify authenticity as well as ownership. As a bonus for purchasers of Trump Digital Trading Cards, each NFT includes one entry into a sweepstakes to win one of thousands of amazing prizes,” reads the official website for Trump's NFTs.
Previously, Trump has been vocal about how he is ‘not a fan' of the digital assets sector.
Following Trump's announcement on Truth Social, the social media website he founded in 2021, some users on Twitter expressed doubt on if this collection was even legit.
The 76-year-old business tycoon recently announced that he'd be running for the US Presidency again. Therefore, releasing NFTs could be part of his presidential campaign aimed at roping-in and connecting with the younger, tech savvy voters.
Meanwhile, the year of 2022 has not particularly been profitable for the NFT sector.
In a report last week, Bloomberg said the sales of NFTs recorded a 16-month low following the downfall of the FTX crypto exchange citing DappRadar.
The NFT trading volumes have reportedly slid by 97 percent since January.


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Coffee Exports & Revenues Rise in RwandaWednesday, January 13, 2016 > 09:55:12
(World Coffee Express)
According to statistics released by the National Agriculture Export Board (NAEB), Rwanda exported 17.3 million kilogrammes of coffee between January and November of last year, a rise of 14 percent compared to the same time period in 2014.
However, despite the healthy growth in exports, revenues only increased by 0.58 percent. The sale of coffee brought in $56.3 million to the country’s economy last year, up slightly from the $56 million gained two years ago.
NAEB officials have attributed this modest rise to the poor state of the global coffee market that has seen extremely low prices become the norm in recent months.


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May 10, 2022 – The U.S. baby formula shortage appears to be growing worse and may remain that way for some time.
About 40% of U.S. baby formula supplies were out of stock at the end April, according to Datasembly, a retail tracking group. That’s up from 31% at the beginning of April.
“Unfortunately, we don’t see this slowing down any time soon,” Ben Reich, CEO of Datasembly, said in a statement.
“Inflation, supply chain shortages and product recalls have continued to bring volatility to the category and continues to be one of the most affected products in the market,” he said.
Overall, 26 states have out-of-stock rates of 40% to 50%. The states with the worst shortages – with out-of-stock rates of 50% or higher – include Texas, Tennessee, Missouri, Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
Some metro areas have even higher rates. The out-of-stock rate in San Antonio, TX, has climbed to 57%, while in Tennessee, rates in Memphis and Nashville have grown to 52%. In Houston and in Des Moines, IA, out-of-stock rates are at 50%.
The shortages are partially due to a recall this year by Abbott Nutrition, which is a major producer of baby formula. A key production facility in Michigan was shut down and is under investigation by the FDA and CDC after reports of contaminated formula that was linked to the deaths of at least two infants.
The recall included certain batches of Similac, Alimentum, and EleCare, which are major brands of powdered infant formula made by Abbott.
“The unprecedented scope of this infant formula recall has serious consequences for babies and new parents,” Brian Dittmeier, JD, the senior director of public policy at the National WIC Association, told The New York Times.
The National WIC Association is a nonprofit that provides education and support for the U.S. Food and Nutrition Service’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). Abbott Nutrition is the exclusive supplier for more than half of the WIC agencies nationwide, he said.
“Unlike other food recalls, shortages in the infant formula supply affects a major – or even exclusive – source of nutrition for babies,” Dittmeier said.
Major retailers, including CVS, Target, Walgreens, and Walmart, continue to limit formula purchases to between three and five units per transaction, according to CNN Business. Customers are posting images on social media of empty store shelves and signs with limits.
In mid-April, Abbott said in a statement that the company was working to increase the supply by focusing on formula production at other facilities and bringing in formula from Europe. On Saturday, the company told CNN Business that it is working with the FDA to resume operations at the Michigan plant.
“We continue to make progress on corrective actions and will be implementing additional actions as we work toward addressing items related to the product recall,” Abbott said.
What Parents Should Do
Parents have struggled to find formula this year, particularly formula for specific nutritional needs. Parents are driving to other states, asking for help on social media, and bartering with extra supplies, according to The Guardian.
The shortage has become so dire that Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas called the situation a “national crisis” on Monday.
“The formula shortage is a national crisis, hitting poor moms and kids the hardest,” he wrote in a Twitter post. “The FDA needs to immediately step up, be transparent, explain how it will get production restarted, and give parents a timeline.”
In some social media groups, families are alerting each other about restocked inventory, bargains, and specialty formulas for allergies or certain health needs, the Times reported.
To help ease the impact of shortages, the American Academy of Pediatrics advises buying no more than a 10-day to 2-week supply of formula. The group also has tips for urgent situations:
- Contact your pediatrician and ask if they can provide a can from a local formula representative.
- Contact your local WIC office, which may be able to suggest places to check.
- Look for formula at smaller retail and drugstores, which may not be out of supply when larger stores are.
- Buy formula online from well-recognized distributors and pharmacies. But don’t import formula from other countries because it’s not FDA-reviewed.
- For most babies, you can switch to any available formula, including generic store brands, unless the child requires a specific hydrolyzed or amino acid-based formula such as EleCare.
The American Academy of Pediatrics strongly recommends against several ideas, such as adding water to formula or making homemade formula. The group says:
- Although it may be tempting to water down formula to stretch it out, never do that. Watering down formula is dangerous and can cause nutritional imbalances.
- Don’t make homemade formula. Although online recipes may seem healthy or less expensive, they aren’t safe and don’t meet nutritional needs. Some infant deaths have been reported from using homemade formulas.
- Milk and milk alternatives aren’t recommended. Plant milks, especially almond milk, are low in protein and minerals.
- Toddler formulas aren’t recommended for infants. But if nothing else is available, toddler formula is safe for a few days for babies who are close to a year of age.


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Viatris (VTRS) — a growth-oriented idea for 2022 — is a relatively new health care company. It was formed in November of 2020 in a merger between Mylan and Pfizer’s Upjohn business unit, explains Ben Reynolds, editor of Sure Dividend.
The company is currently trading with a $16 billion market cap. Viatris operates in 3 business segments: Brands, Complex Gx & Biosimilars, and Generics. The Brands segment markets the company’s well-known products, which include Viagra and Dymista.
The company reported Q3 2021 earnings on November 8th, 2021. Viatris’ management issued full fiscal 2021 guidance of (all numbers at the midpoint of guidance):
• $17.8 Billion in revenues
• $6.4 Billion in adjusted EBITDA
• $2.5 Billion in free cash flow
We expect adjusted earnings-per-share of $3.80 in full fiscal 2021. This means that Viatris is currently trading for very low valuation multiples of (all valuation numbers below use expected fiscal 2021 numbers):
• 0.9x Revenue
• 2.5x Adjusted EBITDA
• 6.4x Free cash flow
• 3.6x Adjusted earnings-per-share
Viatris looks incredibly cheap based on its valuation multiples. This may be due to unwarranted selling pressure that often occurs with spin-offs.
Another potential reason for the company’s modest valuation is likely its high level of debt. Viatris currently has $19.9 billion in long-term debt on its books. But the company is actively deleveraging; long-term debt was $22.4 billion at year end 2020.
The company’s management has proactively repaid $1.9 billion in long-term debt so far in fiscal 2021 and plans to repay $6.5 billion by 2023. The company’s aggressive deleveraging is made possible by its strong free cash flows.
Viatris looks very interesting from a total return perspective. The downward pressure on the security will likely be reduced as the company continues to deleverage. We believe Viatris will command a significantly higher price-to-earnings ratio over time.
A fair value price-to-earnings ratio of 7.0 is a conservative target. This implies 95% upside from current prices. And, Viatris pays a quarterly dividend of $0.11/share. This dividend is well covered by cash flows and gives shareholders a healthy 3.2% dividend yield at the current depressed share price.
Subscribe to Sure Dividend here…
A Look Back at 2021's Top Performers
Last year, Ben Reynolds chose Home Depot (HD) as his Top Pick for 2021. The stock rose 56% over the past year. Here's his latest update on the company:
Through the first 9 months of fiscal 2021 (the most recent results for the company) versus 2020, revenue is up 15.6% and diluted earnings-per-share are up 32.7%. With strong business momentum, we see continued growth ahead for Home Depot.
While Home Depot should continue to post strong business results, the share price has grown even faster than the underlying business. As a result, we see Home Depot as somewhat overvalued currently. Our fair value target is $341 for this high quality dividend growth stock, while shares are currently trading at $415. This is why Home Depot isn't one of my top picks for 2022 as well.


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About this time last year, General Motors was fighting for its life in bankruptcy court. Now the automaker is scratching its way back to solvency, laying the groundwork to sell stock to the public again with the goal of ridding itself of government ownership. The company's outgoing CEO, Ed Whitacre, said government ownership hurts GM's public image. But can GM succeed in buying back the government’s $43.3 billion stake? And can the development of the Volt and other cars transform it back into a profitable company?
David Welch, Detroit staff writer for Bloomberg BusinessWeek
James Bell, Executive Market Analyst for Kelley Blue Book, and President of the Motor Press Guild


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All through 2017 and even into the beginning of this year we are learning of bricks and mortar stores closing. Household names like Sears and Macy’s have seen many store closures and you could be forgiven for thinking that the long talked about demise of the bricks and mortar store is finally here. Will 2018 be it? No.
The numbers reported by Forrester and the National Retail Federation show a different picture, with more brands planning to open stores rather than close them this year. The best examples of these are stores that used to be ecommerce pure-play stores such as Warby Parker and Amazon. These stores have realized that a physical presence helps to build their brand and increase market share both online and offline.
As retailers continue to evolve they are looking for ways to integrate both the digital and physical world and new ideas keep showing up in our in-store shopping experiences. Self-checkout is becoming more and more common, and buy online and pick up in store is a great way to get people into the store to browse for more products.
Landlords are also taking notice, and realizing that many of the online stores that are just testing the waters in the bricks and mortar world will not want to sign a 10-year lease until they know they’ve got the selling formula right, have started to offer short-term leases or even pop-up store locations and the concept of the “anchor” tenant is probably long gone.
The list of etailers who have made the decision to go brick-and-mortar continues to grow – look out for these at your local mall – Bonobos, Casper, Untuckit… if they are not already there, it’s just a matter of time.


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Cell subscriber base up at 2.7 cr; Bharti corners 25 per cent market
The GSM based mobile subscriber base has gone up by 9.94 lakh in April at 2.71 crore customers with Bharti group cornering almost one-fourth of the market with 67.58 lakh customers.
According to the latest subscriber base figures released by Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), subscriber additions during April was 9.9 lakh. This is a 28 per cent decline from the average January-March figures and a 34 per cent decline from March.
At 67.58 lakh user base, Bharti had a market share of 24.89 per cent in April. It added 2.54 lakh subscribers during the month.
Hutch occupied the second slot with a subscriber base of 53.88 lakh and a market share of 19.85 per cent. It added 2.3 lakh subscribers in April.
BSNL ended the month with a subscriber base of 53.55 lakh with a market share of 19.73 per cent. The net addition for BSNL in April was 1.2 lakh subscribers.
Idea Cellular notched a subscriber base of 28.14 lakh with a market share of over 10.37 per cent.
BPL cornered 20.17 lakh subscribers in April to have a market share of 7.43 per cent while state-owned mtnl which operates only in Delhi and Mumbai ended with a market share of 1.39 per cent with a subscriber base of 3.77 lakh.
Reliance’s April subscriber base was 3.19 lakh with a market share of 3.02 per cent.
Spice Telecom had a subscriber base of 12,46,844 with a market share of 4.59 per cent.
Aircel cornered a market share of 3.95 per cent in April with a subscriber base of 10.72 lakh, while Escotel ended the month with 10.31 lakh.
Hexacom had a subscriber base of 2.65 lakh in April.
In Delhi, the cellular subscriber base was up by 1.54 per cent to 32.90 lakh, while in Mumbai, the increase was 3.44 per cent at 29.27 lakh.
Stuart Bowden talks about purchase journey, the revised version of Cannes Lions, Wavemaker Indiaâ€™s performance and a lot more
Emery says everything that Unilever CMO Keith Weed says has a touch of genius. He also talks about his expectations from Cannes, WPP without Sir Martin Sorrell and his love for Mindshare India.
In an interaction with exchange4media, PC Musthafa, CEO & Co-Founder iD Fresh Food shares how the brand deals with competition and marketing strategies followed by them.
Varun Raina, Marketing Manager, Airbnb India speaks to exchange4media about the successful #LiveThere campaign and how Bollywood helps them connect with its young consumer
A total of 183 advertisements were picked up by ASCIâ€™s Suo Moto surveillance
Communication experts say that the recent Airtel controversy on Twitter is a lesson for consumer-facing brands to rejig their customer support and make it more apt for social media


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About a year ago, online retailer Packable was preparing to go public through a special purpose vehicle. With the SPAC market evaporating and the economy now sputtering, Packable is laying off staff and preparing to liquidate, according to internal documents reviewed by CNBC.
Packable is the parent company of Pharmapacks, an online seller of health, personal care and beauty products. Pharmapacks was founded in 2010 as a single brick-and-mortar pharmacy in the Bronx, New York, before turning to the internet and making a big home on Amazon.
Last September, Pharmapacks was the No. 1 seller on Amazon in the U.S., though it now ranks fifth among the top-selling sites nationwide, according to research firm Marketplace Pulse.
Packable said in a notice to employees Monday that it was laying off 138 people, or roughly 20 percent of its staff, with the remaining 372 employees expected to be terminated as “individual severance responsibilities have been met.” The memorandum was signed by Liana Bautista, the company’s CEO.
Packable was unable to secure new financing that would have allowed it to remain in business, the notice said.
“We diligently pursued internal and external funding opportunities but were ultimately unsuccessful,” the company said. “Given that the company has no viable financing alternatives, we are now forced to cease operations, liquidate all remaining collateral and close the business, including the facility to which you report.”
Packable has already secured funding from high profile investors including Carlyle Group, Fidelity and Lugard Road Capital. In addition to Amazon, the company sells products on marketplaces operated by Walmart, eBay and Target.
As of 2020, Amazon was by far Packable’s largest channel, accounting for 80% of sales, according to an investor presentation. Amazon’s third-party marketplace has become the centerpiece of its dominant e-commerce business, as it now accounts for more than half of online retail sales. Because of Amazon’s global reach and massive customer base, many retailers rely on the company for most, and in some cases, all of their business.
Packable’s last year has been filled with turbulence. After announcing in September plans to merge with SPAC — Highland Transcend Partners I Corp. — in a deal that valued the company at $1.55 billion, the market began to turn and investors lost their appetite for SPACs.
In March, Packable called off the deal to take the company public, citing “adverse market conditions,” just days before Highland Transcend’s shareholders were to meet. Packable CEO Andrew Vagenas quietly resigned in April and was succeeded by Daniel Myers, according to the company’s website. Myers, a former supply chain executive at Mondelez, was appointed to Packable’s board last year. Vagenas is still on the company’s board, according to his LinkedIn.
No SPACs were issued in July as what remained of the market dried up completely, according to CNBC’s calculations of SPAC Research data. The boom in 2020 and 2021 created more than 600 SPACs looking for targets.
For Packable, the disappearance of capital represents a dramatic turnaround for a business that has thrived since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. As consumers stayed home, online spending soared and investors poured into the space.
Revenue slowed last year from double-digit growth in 2020 as the company struggled to deal with supply chain constraints, which “resulted in significant out-of-stocks, delays in purchase orders and delays in onboarding new customers.” , according to an investor presentation.
However, the business still managed to grow somewhat in early 2022. In February, Packable said its average daily revenue in January increased to approximately $1.6 million from $1.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2021 Mr.
Packable representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
WATCHING: What’s behind the buzz in Amazon’s aggregator space


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JPMorgan Sees ‘Stratospheric’ $380 Oil on Worst-Case Russian Cut
Tesla’s deliveries fall, hurt by China’s COVID-related shutdown
Tesla Inc delivered 17.9% fewer electric vehicles in the second quarter from the previous quarter, as China’s COVID 19-related shutdown disrupted its production and supply chain. The world’s biggest electric car maker said on Saturday that it delivered 254,695 vehicles in the April to June period, compared with 310,048 vehicles in the preceding quarter, ending a nearly two-year-long run of record quarterly deliveries. A resurgence in COVID-19 cases in China had forced Tesla to temporarily suspend production at its Shanghai factory and also affected suppliers’ facilities in the country.


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Honey is supposed to be one of the purest natural foods there is. It shows a perfect balance of ecosystem services and man's inter-dependence on it. However, a recent report by Food Safety News blacklisted several brands of honey for being "ultra-filtered."
Ultra-filtration is a process that removes pollen and therefore, traceability from honey. This technique is also a tacit way for Chinese manufacturers to sell their honey in the US, as there have been strict import tariffs on Chinese honey since 2001 for contamination with antibiotics and heavy metals.
According to the tests conducted:
Over the past 18 months, the US imported 208 million pounds of honey. Almost 60 percent came from Asian countries which have been a traditional laundering point for Chinese honey. Removal of the pollen will reduce the quality of the honey because the process of ultra-filtration involves heating the honey and then forcing it through small filters under extremely high pressure.
Mark Jensen, president of the American Honey Producers Association said:
"Elimination of all pollen can only be achieved by ultra-filtering and this filtration process does nothing but cost money and diminish the quality of the honey. It is pretty safe to assume that any ultra-filtered honey on store shelves is Chinese honey and it's even safer to assume that it entered the country uninspected and in violation of federal law."Natural raw honey, has many medicinal properties and Manuka honey from New Zealand is even said to fight off Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Unprocessed honey can also help with stomach ailments, anaemia, and allergies. Enzymes and antioxidants in pollen have well documented anti-allergenic benefits which are essential for better health. The US needs better labeling laws as well as more stringent controls on what can be bottled as 'honey' if it is to protect the integrity of small beekeepers.
There are over 300 different honeys made in the US, therefore the amount of locally grown honey is enormous. Honey from the supermarket might be cheaper but it could be devoid of health benefits and can also contain harmful additives. In order to obtain the complete health benefits from honey, customers are better off buying from a local farmer's market rather than the supermarket.
Image Credit: Akhila Vijayaraghavan ©
Akhila is the Founding Director of GreenDen Consultancy which is dedicated to offering business analysis, reporting and marketing solutions powered by sustainability and social responsibility. Based in the US, Europe, and India, the GreenDen's consultants share the best practices and innovation from around the globe to achieve real results. She has previously written about CSR and ethical consumption for Justmeans and hopes to put a fresh spin on things for this column. As an IEMA certified CSR practitioner, she hopes to highlight a new way of doing business. She believes that consumers have the immense power to change 'business as usual' through their choices. She is a Graduate in Molecular Biology from the University of Glasgow, UK and in Environmental Management and Law. In her free-time she is a voracious reader and enjoys photography, yoga, travelling and the great outdoors. She can be contacted via Twitter @aksvi and also http://www.thegreenden.net


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Google Analytics and “(not provided)”
If you haven’t heard the news, Google is hiding even more of it’s data in Google Analytics, specifically the keywords being used to find your site in search. Two years ago, Google started replacing keyword data with “(not provided)” for searches used by users currently logged in to Google. They promised this would only affect 5-8% of search queries. This has now escalated to, in some cases, over 75% of search queries. It is likely that in the upcoming months, this data will be totally unavailable. (Note: this only applies to organic search data. Paid search data is still available. For more detail, check out Danny Sullivan’s post).
There are several speculations as to why this is happening. It is no longer believed to be a privacy issue from Google, though some speculate this has to do with the recent NSA issues, and that this may be an attempt to prevent further data from being captured and “spied on.” The more likely scenario is that Google is trying to drive more people to paid search to receive further data, where it is still available. Personally, I believe that we will most likely see a paid version of Google Analytics in the next year that offers full data.
The Silver Lining
In any case, it’s here, and we have to deal with it. Here’s the good news – this may actually be good for the SEO industry. First, it’s going to cause us to work harder for the right data. That helps to eliminate some of the lazy SEO’s, or at least make them easier to spot. Honestly, that’s good for everyone inside and outside the industry. We should be making the web a better place, not a place resulting from laziness.
Second, and more importantly, it is going to be much more difficult to focus on the “money keyword” – the one keyword that we dwell on for traffic. That’s an old way of thinking about SEO, and it isn’t the best way to look at things. SEO’s need to think of themselves much more as marketers as opposed to “people paid to increase a keyword rank.” As you market a site and company, links will develop naturally, helping the SEO for a site. As you build valuable content around a key concept (maybe a better way to think of things as opposed to key words), that word and similar phrases should raise in rankings. And, as both of these happen, branded searches will rise. With the advent of “not provided” we will not be able to see a differentiation between branded keywords and other keywords. We can measure the overall effectiveness of the site. That may actually be a better measure of success. As the site traffic grows and, more importantly, conversions grow (the metric we really should be focused on in 95% of cases), we should see success, and should be able to claim success. Think as a marketer to grow a business, not just in terms of keywords.
And please, don’t mistake this as a call for laziness. If anything, this should cause us to work harder. And that’s a good thing.


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July 11, 2016
Since its appearance, blockchain technology hasn’t left headlines with an increasing number of use cases and applications. It seems nearly every global financial institution nowadays is involved in blockchain-related initiatives one way or another.
As the LTP team has been reviewing the blockchain ecosystem for quite a while now, we have seen interesting if not outright promising solutions for authentication, blockchain-as-a-service, open-source blockchain, application development, mobile wallets, compliance and trading and investment and beyond.
Although blockchain technology is believed to bring a significant cost and security relief in the financial services industry, it is also a substantial force in fostering financial inclusion for citizens in poverty, as the UK government suggests in the report on distributed ledger technology published earlier this year.
The government claims to be paying out ~£166 billion of taxpayer’s money in welfare support every year, out of which a large number goes to un- or underbanked citizens that face barriers to financial inclusion due to credit checks, access to traditional financial products, and the costs of unauthorized transactions.
Blockchain technology is believed to be a potential remedy to the problem and power cheap and supportive means of getting these claimants into the benefits system.
Digital identities could be confirmed through distributed ledgers running on securely-encoded devices – or even through software on a mobile device – which would allow end-users to receive benefits directly, at reduced transaction costs to banks or local authorities.
As a result, the citizens in poverty will become fully included in the financial system through a secure distribution point that is more reliable than a bank account, the government suggests. Moreover, the solution can be built with a purpose of integration with external systems in order to diminish the fraud and error possibilities in the delivery of benefits for the financially excluded given that blockchain-powered digital identities will be tamper-proof.
By creating a digital identity built on blockchain technology, citizens lacking appropriate access to the financial system would gain a higher independence and better chances for welfare.
Through the innovative application of such technologies, it would be possible – with agreement from the benefit claimant in question – to set rules at both the recipient and merchant ends of welfare transactions. This may present the opportunity for ministers to consider options for achieving better policy outcomes from the distribution of welfare support by agreeing or setting rules around the use of benefits.
Although we haven’t heard of a govern-scale rollout of such initiatives, there are certainly successful companies allowing to create a blockchain-powered digital identity. Among those are such players as Credits.vision, OneName, ShoCard, BitNation and others. Blockchain technology is believed to have a tremendous impact across industries and the number of companies providing a platform to create and securely manage digital identity will certainly be growing.
Although we have been looking at the application of distributed ledger in the matter of financial inclusion, the idea of blockchain-powered digital identity carries a broader range of benefits. A particular group in need for such benefits are migrants.
Some estimations suggest that there are more than 232 million undocumented migrants internationally and the number continues to rise. Since many of those people do not have a formal identification document at the new place of residence, they are often victimized and hold a disadvantageous position in the financial system and beyond. The problem is especially relevant for women and children. Moreover, sources report that over 800,000 men, women, and children are bought and sold across international borders every year and are exploited into forced labor. In the global scale, the number is believed to be reaching 21 million.
At the end, the idea of tamper-proof digital identity will find a broad range of industries it will be used in since it bears important benefits. It will aid not only people provided with a secure digital identity but also the governments and businesses across industries.


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SkyBridge Capital’s founder and former Communications Director of the White House, Anthony Scaramucci, said that Bitcoin is volatile and the bubble could burst, but he remained optimistic about the cryptocurrency market and stated that people can make a massive amount of money in the crypto market.
In an interview with CNN, Scaramucci stated that Bitcoin is digital gold and provides a modern way to store capital. He initially admitted that he was skeptical about BTC and other digital assets, but changed his mind about cryptocurrencies due to their mass adoption.
However, he added that investing in cryptocurrencies is not for cowardly people and crypto holders should be ready for a volatile market ahead. The founder of SkyBridge Capital officially launched the SkyBridge Bitcoin Fund yesterday to provide retail and institutional customers with the opportunity to adopt BTC. He used the following statements in the interview:
“THIS MAY BE AN INFLATABLE BALLOON. WE BELIEVE THAT THE FUND IS VARIABLE AND CAN LOSE MONEY. ”
Despite concerns over Bitcoin volatility and its possible consequences for crypto investors, Scaramucci remained a Bitcoin bull, calling BTC digital gold. “This is digital gold and easier to transfer. We love the limited supply of Bitcoin, ”he added. SkyBridge Capital launched a $ 310 million BTC fund and announced that it provides corporate-level oversight and operations without forcing investors to hold BTC directly.
“WE BELIEVE THAT BITCOIN IS IN ITS FIRST STEPS AS AN EXCITING NEW CLASS OF ASSET. WE BELIEVE THAT IT IS THE RIGHT TIME TO ALLOCATE CAPITAL AND ACCESS OUR CUSTOMERS TO DIGITAL ASSETS WITH THE CORPORATE QUALITY CUSTOMER SOLUTIONS AVAILABLE ”
“With global currency printing at an all-time high, Bitcoin offers a powerful alternative to gold as a store of value and provides protection against future inflation,” SkyBridge co-chairman and senior partner Ray Nolte said in an official press release. used the expressions.


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(Australian Associated Press)
Australian companies’ usage of the renminbi to do business in China is surging, according to the poll.
The HSBC-commissioned poll, released on Tuesday, shows 18 per cent of Australian businesses are using the Chinese currency, a huge leap from 13 per cent a year ago.
HSBC Australia head of commercial banking Steve Hughes says respondents indicated the surge in local usage was set to continue.
“More than 40 per cent of Australian companies believe the renminbi will be an international trading currency in the next five years, versus 29 per cent in 2015,” he said in a statement.
However, Mr Hughes said few Australian companies had plans to capitalise on China’s global Belt and Road strategy, a series of policies and infrastructure projects designed to spur $US2.5 trillion ($A3.3 trillion) of trade.
Chinese companies already invested $US14.8 billion ($19.6 billion) in 49 countries last year.
“Only a handful are aware of the business opportunities that Belt and Road will deliver. By boosting connectivity, it will catalyse trade between more than 60 countries that are home to two thirds of the world’s population,” Mr Hughes said.
“For any company seeking growth and new customers, that’s an exciting proposition to explore.”
Nielsen surveyed 1,600 “decision-maker” respondents in 14 countries.